Riverbend On The Charles - Watertown, MA

A&M in partnership with Criterion Development Partners and Cube 3 Studio, LLC provided land survey, wetland delineation, permitting, civil engineering, and construction administration services for Riverbend on the Charles, a 170-unit multi-story residential apartment building built on the banks of the scenic Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 3.1 acre project site was an abandoned industrial complex located at 271 Pleasant Street.  The property was re-zoned in July of 2008 as part of the Pleasant Street Corridor District (PSCD), which allows residential use in the Industrial District.

The site, which presented numerous challenges to the envisioned re-development, was largely within the 100-year floodplain of the Charles River.  In order to minimize disturbance to the natural floodplain, approximately half of the building was designed and constructed as a podium structure allowing the floodplain to extend below the building.  A&M’s Structural Division provided peer review services for the podium design. A&M’s Civil Division provided site design and extensive permitting including Site Plan, Special Permit, Notice of Intent, Chapter91 and National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Construction.  The project also incorporated pedestrian connections and improvements to the adjacent Charles River Reservation path.